the comfort of things
There are certain things in your home that are like old friends: they always cheer you up. This month we feel the love for alfresco summer meals
Anyone who has spent summer in an office knows that every opportunity to get outside should be grasped. Instead of wistfully looking at a patch of blue sky through the slatted blinds of the meeting room, getting out under it is of paramount importance. Which is why parks are full of lunchtime workers munching on sandwiches, bare legs stretched out, grabbing a few al fresco moments.
It’s much easier to eat outdoors when you are at home, of course. If you have any outdoor space, from a tiny balcony to an expansive garden, all you have to do is open the door and step forth. There is a transformative power in enjoying a cup of tea on the back doorstep with the warmth of the morning sun on your face. In the evening, a glass of wine in the garden, sipped in the evening light, brings the day to a gentle end. Come the weekend, the opportunities to eat outdoors extend. Friends and family are included in alfresco plans. Leisurely breakfasts can be eaten in the garden before the sun gets too fierce, with jugs of juice and plates of waffles produced with an impressive flourish. Any meal eaten in the garden feels like a treat. A spontaneous picnic on your own lawn or patio – complete with rugs, Melamine plates and Tupperware filled with potato salad – turns a simple lunch into a minibreak.
With the arrival of summer, the garden becomes an additional place to eat. A few pieces of garden furniture, be it a rug on the floor, a hammock to swing in and sip a beer, or a table and chairs plus parasol, make it possible to eat most meals outside. To lengthen the day and maximise dining out potential, string up some lights, or light a blazing torch or two, to open up the space. Encourage folk to linger by planting night-scented plants around seats: stock, honeysuckle and phlox all pack the necessary fragrant punch. When the days are long and warm, there really is no excuse to be cooped up indoors.
“A picnic in the garden turns a simple lunch into a minibreak”